Trust Me
by Nirianne
Summary: What if everything Lightning has known was a lie? A lie spoken often it was twisted into the truth. The truth she came to believe in—even trusted from the man she considered her equal: The man by the name of Caius Ballad. Two-shot! R&R!


**A/N**: Hello everybody! It's me again! I hope you all were happy that I updated _Heir to Chaos _after months of silence. I'm actually focused on trying to finish it prior to the release of _Lightning Returns._ But meanwhile, here's a dream that I dreamt of this morning. Being my brain, it doesn't leave me alone until I type this. I hope you'll enjoy this! This will be a two part story so this is part one! Part two will come later ;)

Reviews are much appreciated ^_^

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

**Summary: **What if everything Lightning has known was a lie? A lie spoken often it was twisted into the truth. The truth she came to believe in—even trusted from the man she considered her equal: The man by the name of Caius Ballad.

* * *

**Trust Me –Part 1– **

Flashes of light erupted across thick gray clouds amongst the sea of swirling wind. Darting out of the cloud cover, the Valkyrie—Lightning discharged waves of electric strings against her opponent. Whipping Ragnarok across a sea of clouds, the electric strings severed leaving to be dissolved in the wind. Shielding her face with her sword from deadly wind whips, Lightning spun and headed directly to terra firma; she was going to lure the dragon into the sea to finish this once and for all. Unable to hide a smug look, Caius followed Lightning in hot pursuit; he too, looked forward to ending this battle.

Landing onto the ebony beaches of Valhalla, Lightning was poised with her sword and shield ready to initiate the final blow. Breathing out of her lips, a sweat bead slipped down her face counting down the moments until the guardian's arrival. As expected, a menacing screech tore the sky open; Chaos Bahamut hovered directly above her fixing its ruby eyes onto the Valkyrie. Not in the least bit intimidated, Lightning flexed her wrist, unafraid by the sight of the beast.

"You wanna play rough?" Lightning stated. "I'll give you rough."

Diving down without warning, Chaos Bahamut transformed into an almost vehicular mode and dashed toward Lightning. The knight remain composed counting down the seconds. Closer and closer did Chaos Bahamut approach until the last second before impact; Lightning flipped mid-air and delivered a devastating blow onto one of the beast's wing-like projections. Only a couple of seconds ticked by and Chaos Bahamut was consumed in purple smoke, transforming back into his human origin. Lightning heard a small curse from behind and several shuffling sounds on the sand. Landing gracefully, Lightning spun around spotting Caius staring directly back at her, a hand pressed over a gaping wound on his shoulder.

"You improved," he spoke. "You wounded me,"

Removing his hand, the blood soaked wound slowly weaved shut leaving no mark courtesy of Lightning's sword.

"Thanks," The sword dissolved in Lightning's grasp walking to him. "You alright?"

Nodding, Caius responded, "I will be fine. A mere wound is nothing, Lightning." Catching his breath he continued, "You have progressed well; your sword skills have improved greatly."

"Thanks," she repeated, dismissing Caius's words of praise. "Sparring everyday does help,"

Walking past Caius, Lightning stopped several paces away with her eyes locked upon Etro's temple. Day in, day out Lightning sparred with Caius to enhance her sword or spell skills. With each progressing day, she improved much to her amusement. Breathing in the fresh, cold air, Lightning knew they trained for a reason: To protect the goddess. Caius would remind her of her duty to protect Etro at all costs; the humans seek the goddess's life. It was up to Lightning and Caius to defend Etro until they could no longer stand nor breathe; it was their oath to each other.

"Training is concluded for today," Caius approached her from behind. "Go rest, Lightning. You deserved it."

Nodding, Lightning distanced herself from Caius leaving a trail of footprints in the sand. The Time Guardian merely watched Lightning's frame get smaller and smaller until she was no longer visible. Crossing his arms, he was pleased with Lightning's progress; she was evolving into an excellent opponent and maturing beautifully.

"Is she gone?" A voice of a young girl whispered from behind.

"Indeed," Turning around, Caius's eyes met with a pair of emerald gems. "Are you curious of Lightning's progress?"

"Yes," Yeul walked past Caius with fingers laced behind her back. "I can tell she's improving her craft sparring with you."

"She has."

"So tell me: Does she trust you yet?"

"By all means, Yeul." Caius responded. "She is no longer the woman who shackles her heart; the chains have rusted since Orphan was slain. Prior to her arrival in Valhalla, Lightning's heart was opened by her friends and the brief encounter with Serah."

"But since Lightning was transported here, her heart erupted in turmoil," Yeul continued, digging her heels into the soft sand she continued, "Torn from her friends and family, Lightning soon gained a new purpose: Protecting Etro."

"Indeed," Caius smirked. "Tasked to protect the goddess, I approached her to join me in protecting Etro together. She was hesitant at first but overtime she accepted my lies into truths. She began to trust me as her comrade."

"But she doesn't trust you completely," Yeul interjected. Turning around, Yeul stared deeply into the guardian's eyes. "Do whatever you need to do to gain her trust, Caius. I don't care how you do it; force her to trust you if you must."

Falling onto one knee, the guardian lowered his head in respect for the Seeress's wishes. "Consider it done, Yeul."

* * *

Lightning sat in front of an ivory and gold embellished vanity running the comb through her hair, clearing out any stray water droplets. Her eyes locked onto her own reflection examining every feature present on her body. She noticed her frame was much more toned than before from the constant sparring with Caius. Pausing mid-thought, her mind detoured to think of the Time Guardian. Since arriving in Valhalla, he welcomed her with open arms even if Etro had forewarned Lightning of his arrival. Lightning obeyed Etro for the longest time but as time went by, Caius's words pierced through. Lightning remembered he approached her as a friend, not foe. His goal was to protect Etro, just like Lightning so why not join forces and protect her together? It made sense to Lightning.

Lightning was oblivious to the lies Caius fed her to believe. Placing down the comb, Lightning pushed away from the vanity and approached the rain stained window. Her heart was a peace since she began opening her heart to Caius little by little, as much as she never wanted to admit it. There was something about him, something enigmatic that drew her into him. She wondered, was it the way he spoke to her that perhaps persuaded her in every way? No, that was not it.

"I wonder why am I—"

_'KNOCK, KNOCK'_

Moving to her door, Lightning unlocked it only to be greeted by a bunch of blood red roses. Blinking, she accepted the bouquet of red from the Time Guardian. Their eyes briefly met until he was the first to break them by bowing to the knight.

"Good evening," Caius greeted. "Are you ready?"

"Ready?" Lightning questioned. "Ready for what?"

"Dinner."

Accepting the bouquet, Lightning wondered if this was some special occasion she was unaware of. So, out of curiosity she had to ask, "Is there something special today, Caius? This is strange."

"Indeed." His eyes softened and spoke, "Once you are ready, meet me at the castle gates, Lightning. I will be waiting at the fountain,"

"Sure."

Watching him bow, Lightning watched Caius turn around and walked down the candlelit hallways. Closing the door, Lightning pulled the bouquet of roses close to her heart, suddenly listening to the rhythmic thumps inside her chest. Rubbing a petal with her thumb and index finger, she pondered on the special occasion. Caius had not acted differently during the past few days other than the usual encouragement he provided during their sparring sessions. Taking several steps forth, Lightning untied the golden bow holding the bouquet together and placed the roses into a crystal vase.

"He'll tell me," Lightning mused, walking away from the vase and to the changing area. "He tells me everything."

* * *

Caius leaned by the pillar with a finger tapping on his arm. Counting down, he carefully planned out the night. This night would be special for Lightning and he was ensuring it went as planned. Tapping his arm three times, the sound of footsteps echoed from the castle behind him. Even without looking, his nose picked up the fragrance of full bloom roses approaching with every passing second. Hearing the sound of soft footsteps treading across marble floors, Caius pushed away from the pillar to receive the knight in shining armor. As expected, Lightning appeared from around the corner with her head held high, adorned in the regalia of a blessed knight. The clouds shifted to the right prompting the moon to slip through the cracks, highlighting the Valkyrie.

"You are early," he spoke quietly taking a couple of steps toward her. Extending out a hand, he said, "Shall we?"

Lightning blinked at his extended hand and in return, extended out her own. Pulling her toward him, Lightning skipped over a puddle of water hidden within the shadows. Colliding gently with Caius's torso, Lightning grunted and recomposed herself. Removing her hand from his grasp, she merely pretended to dust her feathered garment even if it was never stained.

"Shall we?"

"Yeah, let's."

Something was different with tonight. Walking across the vast expanse, Lightning's eyes were fixed on Caius. The Time Guardian continued to walk, guiding Lightning through puddles of water in the sand. The sound of the sea began to play with Lightning's mind allowing her to think of the occasion. Without slowing her pace, her mind thought of the bouquet Caius gave her. Stepping over a row of rocks, the gears in her mind continued to spin, questioning if Caius had any ulterior motives. Observing him closely from behind, she concluded with nothing. Cursing herself from within, she knew she had the ability to read people but with Caius, there was nothing to be read. Falling into temporary defeat, she merely continued following him.

Walking for another ten minutes, Caius came to a stop and turned around to face Lightning.

"We're here?" Lightning questioned spotting nothing out of the ordinary.

Nodding, Caius lifted his arm to the sky. "There,"

Tracing his arm pointing to the sky, Lightning's eyes located a hovering platform several hundred meters in the sky. "That's where we're going?"

Caius took several steps back and removed Ragnarok off his back. Chanting out the transformation spell, Caius was engulfed in purple smoke. Tearing apart the smoke with its massive claws, Chaos Bahamut's ruby eyes landed on the knight. Transforming again into its vehicular mode, the beast parked onto the sands and emitted a low growl wanting the knight to board. She complied, getting on its hand before the beast lifted up its arms allowing Lightning to properly seat herself on its back. Tapping the beast gently, her fingers curled around a piece of armor, hold on tightly for take off. Flapping its massive wings, Chaos Bahamut shot toward the sky heading directly to the hovering platform.

Arriving at the top, Lightning's eyes widened at the sight of a white gazebo at the center of the platform. Surrounding the gazebo were blue and orange torches flickering gently in the breeze, illuminating the tent as bright as it could be. Slowly descending, Chaos Bahamut touched the solid dirt feeling Lightning slide off its back and plant her metal boots into the dirt. The sight took her by surprise, she admitted. Fixing her eyes onto the objects inside the tent, her eyes scanned across noticing a long table with two chairs on each end, cloaked in white silk and adorned with crystallized floral diamonds. Taking another step forward, the table presented a large feast for the two offering various types of delicacies she had never seen before. Plates of meats toward elegantly carved fruit were offered on the table and lastly complimented with five candles spread evenly apart.

"What is this?" The question slipped out of Lightning's lips, astonished by the sight.

"My apologies for keeping this quiet, Lightning," Caius approached from behind admiring the sight and Lightning. "I've arranged to dine with you."

The warrior turned around and said, "Dinner?" Then Lightning's thought took her to a state-of-the-obvious reason, "Is this a date?"

"A date?" Caius questioned, unfamiliar with the terminology. "This is a peaceful outing between you and I, Lightning. I believe you deserve something special after our grueling sparring matches."

"Of course," Lightning responded dismissively approaching the tent. "Of course."

Entering the vicinity of the tent, it was clear the occasion was dinner. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Moving to the base of the table, Lightning pulled out the chair and seated herself and crossed her legs beneath the table. The amount of polished silverware and food presented in front of her was a new experience, she noticed. She was one to never believe in candlelight dinners or the sorts; she had no _time _to invest in such silly activities. This was perhaps her first candlelit dinner and quite frankly, it felt like any ordinary dinner just with a little more polish.

Her attention was diverted from the lavish food upon hearing the sound of wine glasses gently colliding, emitting a soft chime. She intently watched him pour rich, blood-red wine into one crystallized glass then two. Heading over to her, Caius extended out his hand holding the fragile glass towards her.

"Let us drink in celebration of Etro," Caius spoke in regal tones. "Long live the Goddess."

Accepting his offer, Lightning nodded, drawing the cold glass to her lips. "To Etro."

"To Etro."

Sweet, grape scented aroma filled her nose while the rich liquid slipped down her throat. She was never one for alcoholic beverages but she knew enough this drink was _rich_. She promised herself no more than a glass or two during the entire dinner. Emptying the glasses, both warriors placed the glass dismissively onto the table. Looking at each other, the other waited to speak. Lightning was never good when it came to socializing hence, the abrupt awkward silence. Caius made the first move, walking to his end of the table and sat. With hands again extended out to the polished knife and fork, he began to pull in pieces of meat and vegetables towards his plate. Without words, Lightning did the same.

The sound of silverware chiming against porcelain plates was not enough to substitute the silence shared between the warriors. There were many times Lightning would place down her fork to think of a topic to discuss. What was there to discuss? Training? They saw each other everyday and they talked only on refining battle techniques and moves. That was it. It was in her personality to not speak when she was dining, regardless it it was with friends or family. Lightning chose to remain quiet.

"Lightning,"

The sound of silverware stopped chiming as the warrior looked up, locking eyes with him. He dabbed the side of his lips with a napkin and pushed out of the seat, heading directly to her. Following his every footstep, Caius stood in front of Lightning before he gracefully kneeled down onto one knee. Dropping her utensils, she spun her body towards him. The sudden beats of her heart echoed twice as loud watching him. Lightning had to question: Why was he kneeling like this? Before her mind continued to process, Caius had already reached out and cradled Lightning's fingers against his. She wanted to ask: What are you doing? But the words refused to leave her throat. Instead, she was left speechless and somewhat baffled.

"Lightning, I believe it is time."

"Time for what?"

There was a slight smirk across his lips as he continued, "I have been thinking about us for the longest time, Warrior Goddess. And I believe you are the one."

"What are you...?"

Her mind did mad flips in the back of her mind. She knew Caius was going to do something. Pieces began to piece together; the sudden display of mild affection, the bouquets, the dinner... was Caius...?

"I ask you to stand by my side as my partner. A comrade in arms." Stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, the warrior awaited the knight's response. "Will you accept my offer to defending Etro as my partner? As my equal?"

A wave of disappointment crashed into her hurling jagged rocks at her. Maybe Lightning never expected it. Maybe she thought wrong. Feeling Caius's grip tighten around her hand, Lightning weakly smiled and gave him his desired answer.

"Sure."


End file.
